Tag Archives: Jesse Moorland

Black History Month looks
to the past in remembrance

Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and Black History Month.

In 1915 — half a century after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States — historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland set out to document the struggles and achievements of black Americans and other peoples of African descent. In 1926, they hosted the first national Black History Week, spurring nationwide celebrations.

The founders chose the week of Feb. 12 as Black History Week — which eventually became Black History Month in the 1960s — to honor the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, who had been leaders in the fight to abolish slavery.

In 1976, Black History Month was officially recognized by President Gerald R. Ford, who stated that the celebration was important to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Black History Month honors the past and looks to the future each year to remember this fight for freedom. Check out Texas State’s Black History Month events: